Adding drama to MacMillan

A new recording of MacMillan's The Sacrifice from Orchestra & Chorus of Welsh National Opera is well worth getting to know.

Composer: MacMillan
Repertoire: The Sacrifice
Artists: Soloists, Orchestra & Chorus of Welsh National Opera/Anthony Negus
Rating: 4/5 
Genre: Opera
Label: Chandos CHAN 10572 (2)

The Sacrifice is about an ill-fated marriage, brokered as a peace attempt between two warring nations. It isn’t a happy yarn. However, MacMillan has declared ‘I love melody, I love themes’, and so while his highly effective score is deeply eerie and unsettling, it’s also eminently accessible. Recorded live, this performance has that indefinable frisson of one-off-ness and dramatic immediacy, but also occasional sound quality disadvantages in the pick-up of the singers’ voices. The stellar cast sings with perfect diction, headed by Lisa Milne on superb form.